


A Sister's Love

by SylphTempest



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: F/M, Sibling Incest, i had fake/pretend relationship up here but One Explicitly Mock Date doesn't really qualify lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-12-30 04:40:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylphTempest/pseuds/SylphTempest
Summary: Luthier is bad at dating. Delthea wants to help!





	1. A Sister's Pity

Luthier was having trouble.  
  
Not with his magic, of course. There was never an issue with his diligent studying and practice. There wasn't a soul in the army who didn't recognize Luthier's strength. No, Luthier was having trouble with girls.  
  
He was one of the most attractive mages in the army. There was no shortage of girls who wanted to get to know him. He was handsome, intelligent, and powerful. But man, did he suck at conversation. Women would ask him for some company, and he would accept. But it would never be more than a few minutes before they would leave, often in frustration.  
  
It would happen time after time after time. It got to the point where Delthea began to pity him.  
  
It was his own fault, though, really. Delthea had tried to get him to stop being so self-centered, but the idiot just insisted on trying to correct everyone else's behavior all the time. It infuriated Delthea to no end.  
  
...That really didn't stop her from feeling bad for him, though. He really was trying.  
  
His latest failure was with a woman that Delthea privately thought would probably bang a pegasus as long as it had a pulse. Her boobs were practically spilling out of her robes, for Mila's sake! She had watched her walk into his tent with him, and decided to stick around at a safe distance to see what might happen. Sure enough, within minutes the woman stormed out and back into town. What came from the tent next was silence--Luthier was probably fuming.  
  
The poor guy, Delthea thought. She had to figure out some way to help him out. She'd figure it out tomorrow, she decided as she returned to her own tent.  
  
...  
  
The next morning came quietly as the sun broke the horizon, and Delthea awoke to find Luthier pacing about, his nose as deep in his book as ever.  
  
"Lu, what are you doing this early in the morning?" Delthea asked, as if she didn't already know.  
  
"Ah, hello, Delthea... I am... trying to study how to talk to people."  
  
"Oh, Lu, you can't STUDY that," Delthea groaned. "It's something you have to PRACTICE. Like, for REAL."  
  
"But... But people are so...frustrating." Luthier's complaints made Delthea want to slap him.  
  
"YOU'RE the one who's frustrating, Lu! Every conversation does not need to revolve around making everyone think just like you do!"  
  
"I simply want to guide people onto the proper paths!"  
  
"ARGH! Lu, you're infuriating! Not everyone WANTS to be put on a path that YOU decided for them!" With that, Delthea stormed off.  
  
"Delthea, hold it!" Lu called, but Delthea refused to listen, instead choosing to go see if she could talk to Clair. She needed to talk to SOMEBODY who might have their head on right.  
  
...  
  
Delthea found Clair training with her pegasus in a nearby field. Delthea called her down, and the two left for Clair's tent, where Delthea ran Clair through the situation as she poured them both a cup of freshly-brewed tea.  
  
"My, it seems your brother is in a bit of a bind," Clair mused.  
  
"I know. It's kind of amusing to watch, but also I kind of feel bad for him."  
  
"So you came to see if I could offer any counsel on the situation?"  
  
"That, and I needed someone sane to talk to. He drives me nuts, Clair!"  
  
Clair chuckled, which Delthea found irritating. "Hey, I'm serious!"  
  
"Ha, I know, Delthea, I know." Clair set her cup down and looked Delthea in the eyes. "But if you might permit me to make a rather bold suggestion, why not try to walk him through a date?"  
  
"A...date?"  
  
"Yes." Clair smiled. "A mock date, of course. Not the real thing. Just go out with him, perhaps to dinner and on a walk, and help him to know what might be expected of him as a man."  
  
The idea of going on a date--even a pretend one--with Luthier, of all people, made her want to gag.  
  
"You might have a point," Delthea replied, crossing her arms in thought. Luthier's problem was that he thought he could learn everything he needed to from books--he'd never actually BEEN on a proper date. Even Delthea, at thirteen, knew more about what a date was than her older brother. "I wish I could ask someone more experienced to help."  
  
"Ha ha. I would say I'd be glad to help, but knowing who Luthier is, he's more likely to learn from you than from me or any other woman, really."  
  
Dammit. She was right. Luthier would be too busy criticizing anybody else--he couldn't even stop criticizing HER.  
  
"Okay. All right, thanks, Clair. I'll do that."  
  
"Anytime, my dear!" Clair's beautiful smile followed, and Delthea made her exit, a plan already forming in her head.  
  
...  
  
Delthea spent most of the rest of the day deep in thought. Dinner and a romantic walk... As simple as dates get, she supposed. So why was this making her nervous? It was her idiot brother, not some hot hunk of a man like Clive, and it was a fake date anyway. She kept pacing a hole into the bottom of her tent as she thought about it.  
  
"Gah!" She grabbed her head in frustration. "Just go and offer your help!" she screamed at herself, loudly enough to cause some people outside to glance at her tent. She quieted down for a moment, embarrassed, and after a few minutes she threw open the front of her tent and stormed over to Luthier's.  
  
"Lu! Lu, are you in there?" Delthea called from outside, not wanting to disturb whatever her brother might be doing.  
  
"Ah, Delthea? Yes, I am. You may come in," came his voice from inside.  
  
"Don't mind if I do," Delthea mumbled as she ducked into Luthier's ridiculously red tent. Seriously, did he have a fetish for this color or something?  
  
"What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well..." Delthea sighed. "If I'm gonna be honest, Lu, I want to try to help you."  
  
Luthier gasped. "You, help me? What could you possibly want to help me with?"  
  
"I want to help you with your damned girl problem," Delthea said. She could feel her cheeks redden, but she had to do this. "So, so I wanted to offer you the chance to take your darling little sister out on a date." She finished her statement with a flourish and a pose.  
  
"A... A date with you, Delthea?" Luthier was clearly puzzled. "But why would you want to do that?"  
  
"Because I'm tired of seeing women storm out of your tent all mad because you have no idea how to treat them. So I figured, if you went on a...a date with ME, I could tell you what you should be doing, you know?" Delthea's cheeks were on fire. Why was this so hard for her?  
  
"I... I suppose that would be...acceptable."  
  
"R-really? I mean...yeah, good. Let's say, tomorrow? We can go shopping, eat dinner, and take a walk. Pretty basic date stuff, it shouldn't be too hard for you."  
  
"I...see." Luthier closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then smiled at Delthea. "I look forward to it. Thank you, Delthea."  
  
"Good! Good. I'll make it a date to remember so you can actually know what you're doing next time!" Delthea left the tent, proud of herself and her brother, and hummed a little song to herself as she retired to her own tent.  
  
A fake date with Luthier... Frankly, she wasn't sure why anybody would want to go on a REAL date with him.  
  
Some women just have no taste, Delthea thought as she went to sleep.


	2. A Sister's Helpfulness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delthea takes Luthier out on a demonstrative date.

It was almost time to go shopping with Luthier, and Delthea was more nervous than ever.  
  
"Why?! It's just my stupid brother!" she muttered to herself and took a deep breath. It didn't help. "Okay. Screw it. Let's go."  
  
Delthea left her tent. The sun was high, the wind was gentle, and the sky was clear. All in all, it was a good day for a date. That was a good sign, right?  
  
She slowly walked in the direction of Luthier's tent. Luthier never had much interest in shopping, but he would just have to put up with it. It's good for him to try to embrace other people's interests, Delthea thought.  
  
Before she knew it, there she stood in front of Luthier's tent. She couldn't figure out why, but her heart was beginning to race.  
  
"Lu? Are you ready?" she called, a little too loudly.  
  
"Ah, Delthea? Oh, right!"  
  
...Of course he forgot. Typical.  
  
"Just get ready and let's go! Gods, Lu, you can't forget about a date that we literally just scheduled yesterday!"  
  
Luthier didn't respond, but Delthea could hear him getting ready. At least he could be counted on to get up and go.  
  
Within a few moments, Luthier emerged, wearing his normal robes and...holding...  
  
"...Put the book back."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I told you to put the book away. We're on a date. You won't be reading."  
  
"There's never a bad time to stu--"  
  
"I told you to put the book away!"  
  
Startled, Luthier tossed the book back into the tent behind him. "Oh," he muttered as he ran back inside to put it away properly.  
  
When he came out, the date started in earnest. The plan was to do some shopping--Delthea saw a cute dress the other day she wanted to try on--and go right to dinner at a place Clair recommended (and provided some coin for--Delthea really had a friend in her, she thought).  
  
Luthier was mostly quiet on the way into town. This was probably okay, right? Maybe Delthea should start the conversation?  
  
Yeah. Probably.  
  
"S-so... Lu." Delthea took another deep breath. "I think we're gonna go shopping first. It's gonna be something I like, and I want you to come with me and talk with me about IT, okay?"  
  
"Talk with you...about what? Where are we going?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Delthea took Luthier to a large clothing shop. Luthier was reluctant to enter, but with some sleeve-tugging from Delthea, he gave in.  
  
"And...what, exactly, will we be doing here?" Luthier asked quietly.  
  
"I saw this SUPER cute dress the other day! I wanted to try it on and I want YOU to tell me what you think of it!"  
  
"A...dress? I thought you weren't into that sort of thing, Delthea."  
  
"Excuse you! I may be your sister, but I AM still a girl! Sure, I don't wear dresses very often, but even I like to look cute sometimes."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Besides, this is about teaching you how to go on a date. It's not about me, specifically."  
  
Luthier didn't seem to understand, but he relented nonetheless.  
  
Delthea led Luthier on a veritable hunt through the shop, picking up item after item and asking him what he thought.  
  
"Okay okay, how about this?" Delthea asked, holding up a simple blue dress, perfect for the spring.  
  
"It's... cute?" The same sort of noncommital answer he'd been giving for the last hour. Delthea took a breath.  
  
"Lu, you really need to be more invested when you compliment a girl or a dress. Every response you've given me just makes me think you don't really care!"  
  
"But I DON'T care, Delthea! None of this has anything to do with me."  
  
"And that's your problem! You need to learn how to care about things that OTHER people care about!"  
  
Luthier opened his mouth to protest, but thought better and cleared his throat. "All right. It looks...like it would look very good on you. Is that better?"  
  
"Aw, Lu!" Delthea said with a smile. "Thank you! I agree, I think I would look positively dashing in this! See, it's really not too hard, is it?"  
  
Luthier grunted. Delthea knew he was trying, but he could be trying a little harder. She took him through a few more outfits before she got to the dress she was really interested in--a fancy golden dress with ribbon woven throughout. She simply thought it was cute, but she saw an opportunity here.  
  
"Okay, so." Delthea held the dress in front of her. "What do you think, Lu? Wouldn't this REALLY show off my curves?"  
  
"You don't have curves," Luthier said bluntly.  
  
"Hey! First of all, RUDE! Second, it's not actually about ME! Think about if I were one of the girls hanging off your arm! What would you say to THEM?"  
  
"Do they have curves?"  
  
"Oh my god." Delthea rubbed her temples. This was not going to be easy. "Luthier, sometimes, it's okay to lie for the sake of compliments. Even if you DON'T think she has curves, if she wants you to compliment them, then DO IT. Now. Wouldn't this REALLY. Show off. My curves?"  
  
Luthier gulped. "Y...yes. Yes, Delthea, it would. You would...look lovely."  
  
Delthea grinned wide. She was getting through to him! "Yes, that's good! Thank you, Lu. I think I'll buy this one. Maybe I'll wear it for...dinner." ...That was close. That would have been kind of weird, she thought.  
  
"But... Wouldn't it get dirty?"  
  
"Not tonight, it won't. We're eating at a nice place tonight, and I for one do not plan to get my nice new dress dirty." Delthea held it up. "Isn't it cute? Anyway, normally you might be expected to offer to pay for something like this as a gift for the woman of your dreams, but since this is pretend, I'll buy it myself."  
  
"I don't mind buying a present for you, Delthea. You are my little sister, after all," Luthier said with a smile as he retrieved his own coin purse.  
  
"...Oh. Oh, no, Luthier, you don't have to do that," Delthea protested, albeit a bit weakly.  
  
"It's no trouble, Delthea. I'm not exactly penniless. Besides, you're going out of your way to help me. It's the least I can do." Delthea found no way to argue against it, and allowed Luthier to pay for her cute new dress.  
  
Oh, dammit. That was really well played, she thought. How does he manage to screw it up with other girls? The duo left the shop, Delthea with a nice new dress in her bag and a million thoughts running through her mind.  
  
"I suppose it's close to dinnertime," Luthier remarked, looking toward the sky.  
  
"Yeah, we were in there for a while. But didn't you learn a whole bunch?"  
  
"I...suppose I did."  
  
"Yeah! You're doing great, br--Lu. You're doing great. Anyway, I'm hungry, so let's get to that tavern I talked about!"  
  
"You talked about a tavern? Wait, Delthea!"  
  
Delthea had already begun hot pursuit of the town's square, forcing Luthier to follow quickly. They soon found themselves in front of a tavern that looked expensive enough that of course Clair had to lend Delthea some money. She really had to pay Clair back sometime. They walked in and ordered the most delicious thing they could find on the menu.  
  
"Thanks a bunch!" Delthea called as their food was served. "So, Luthier. Do you normally get this far with girls? We expect a lot of conversation during dinner, you know."  
  
"I...have gone to dinner with several women, but it is often here that they would finish their dinner and leave," he said with a dejected look on his face.  
  
Damn, Delthea thought. That had to hurt. "So, what about the women who end up going to your tent?"  
  
"They just come by and ask for some company. I accept, and then..." He didn't finish.  
  
"Well, Lu, luckily we're only here to worry about conversation." Delthea smiled. "So! Tell me about yourself."  
  
"About...myself? Delthea, you already know all about me."  
  
Delthea pressed a couple fingers to her temple. "Again. Luthier. I mean for you to pretend I'm someone else. Pretend you're telling someone else about you."  
  
"Oh... Well... I..." Luthier seemed at a loss for words. Maybe the question was too abstract?  
  
"Okay, let's try this from another angle. What about...your hobbies? What do you do for fun?"  
  
"I... I like to study," Luthier said. "Magic. I like to study magic. I'm very good at it."  
  
"Good, good, play yourself up, bro!" Delthea said with a smile.  
  
"I'm not 'playing myself up', Delthea. It's the truth."  
  
"No, I know you're good, Lu. I'm saying it's good to make yourself LOOK as good as possible with women. You want to impress me! Us! Them!" Crap.  
  
"Impress? Don't I always impress?"  
  
"Pfft. No, Lu. You usually just irritate unless it involves shooting fireballs at people," Delthea said with a chuckle.  
  
"I...I do try. Which is more than we can say about you, young lady--"  
  
"No. No, we're not doing that today. See, as soon as you get carried away, you start criticizing. This is your biggest problem."  
  
"I-I'm just trying--"  
  
"You're trying nothing. Not today, Lu."  
  
"I... Sigh. All right, Delthea. You win."  
  
"I know I do," Delthea said with a grin.  
  
When the two finished their meal and found themselves back outside, Delthea took a big, long breath. Now comes the walk.  
  
"The sun should be setting soon," Delthea said. "Let's take a walk. There's a beach nearby. Nothing is more romantic than a moonlit stroll on the beach."  
  
"Is that so?" Luthier asked in return, to which Delthea rolled her eyes.  
  
And so the duo travelled to the nearby beach just as the sun began to reach the horizon. Delthea stretched and took in the view. "Isn't it pretty, Lu?"  
  
"It is. Sunsets usually are."  
  
"Yeah." Delthea began to walk. "Come on, Lu. Let's go." Luthier followed, and the two walked in silence for a time, both listening to the waves until the sun was well past set.  
  
Delthea didn't really know what was wrong, here. Luthier had been doing really well with this mock date. Was it just because he was used to her? She was his sister, so he feels more able to speak his mind? Maybe it wouldn't really work with her after all. He needed practice with OTHER women.  
  
...That said, he wasn't doing what he should be right now.  
  
"Hey, Lu. Right about now is the perfect time to hold a lady's hand." Delthea held her hand out a little, cheeks reddening. Holding hands with her older brother was probably a little weird, but it was for the mock date. Really. She closed her eyes for what felt like an eternity before she felt Luthier's hand take hers.  
  
It felt warm. Her brother's hand. She unconsciously gave a small squeeze and failed to suppress a giggle.  
  
"Let's go, Lu."  
  
The sand was beginning to cool beneath their feet, and the moon was rising high. The salty smell of the sea was making Delthea's heart race.  
  
At least, that's what she wanted to tell herself.  
  
"The moon's pretty tonight," she said, mostly for distraction.  
  
"I agree."  
  
"...Nothing else? No new insight? You need to keep up your side of the conversation, Lu."  
  
"I...apologize."  
  
"Honestly... You really do need practice with this 'conversation' thing."  
  
"What do normal people talk about when they're walking on the beach?"  
  
...That was a good question. It wasn't like Delthea had been on a lot of dates herself.  
  
"I suppose we just chat, like people who like each other do, right?"  
  
"Then...let's chat, Delthea."  
  
And chat they did, about this, that, and the other thing, and they continued their walk until they made it back to town. They stopped in front of Delthea's tent, where Delthea turned and looked Luthier in the eyes.  
  
"I had a good time today, Lu. Thanks. That's what you should hope to hear from a girl you've hopefully just shown a good time." Delthea gave a wink.  
  
"I...see. Thank you, too, Delthea. You've given me a lot to think about."  
  
"Yeah! Hope your next date goes well! Oh, and if a girl comes in for a kiss, go for it. I won't do it because, ew, but just keep it in mind!" With that, Delthea retreated into her tent.  
  
Things went well today, she thought. Maybe Luthier can use this to actually succeed at a date with a woman for once.  
  
Delthea sat with the intent to go to sleep, but she didn't feel tired at all. She lay in bed, eyes wide open, deep in thought. She hoped Luthier learned enough today. And she couldn't help but admit that, at the end of the day, she did enjoy the time she spent with her brother for once.  
  
...Maybe she should visit Clair.


	3. A Sister's Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delthea just can't seem to get her mind off of Luthier's new date.

"And that's pretty much how it went," Delthea said after telling Clair about the events of the day.  
  
"It sounds like you covered things nicely," Clair replied. "Do you feel Luthier has a chance now to win a second date with the same woman?"  
  
"I hope so. There were a lot of times where he sounded really insecure, but I could tell he was really trying to remember what he was doing."  
  
"Well, we shall hopefully see tomorrow; I actually set him up on a date with a girl I met recently."  
  
"Wh- Really? Why?"  
  
"Well, we need to see if your tutelage was effective, yes? And this girl, let me be frank, simply would not shut up about him. So, I instructed her to simply ask him out tomorrow."  
  
"O-oh. Well, I wish him luck, I guess." That shouldn't bother her. Why did that bother her?  
  
"Hmhm. Shall I let you know how it went next time I speak to her?"  
  
"Oh, yes, please! I really hope it works out for them."  
  
With that, and an apology for bothering Clair so late in the night, Delthea bid Clair goodnight and retired to her own tent.  
  
...  
  
Early afternoon came quickly the next day, and a lone woman came to Delthea's tent.  
  
"Excuse me..." she said meekly.  
  
Delthea had been lost in thought for a while. She really hoped Luthier would do well today. She put all she had into teaching her brother everything she knew--which, to be honest, wasn't much, but she tried.  
  
"Miss? I apologize for intruding."  
  
But something was amiss. There was a nagging feeling in her gut that she couldn't get rid of. Something tugging at her heart, relentlessly, almost painfully. What was it?  
  
"...Miss?"  
  
"Huh?" Delthea nearly jumped from her seat as she spun to greet her visitor. She had short blonde hair and wore a purple mage's robe, with a brand new Thunder tome strapped to her waist. Delthea thought she looked rather stunning. "O-oh! Hello! I'm sorry, I was...thinking about things. Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, um... I think I'm lost. I'm looking for a tent owned by a man named Luthier?"  
  
...Oh. This must be her. Figures.  
  
"Uh, yeah! I know him. He's just a few tents down from mine, actually. It's bright red, you can't miss it."  
  
"Oh, thank you! I apologize again." The woman bowed and went on her way.  
  
Delthea huffed. She hated her. The way she stood there. The way she had way too much makeup on. The way she spoke. The clothes she wore that looked just a little too loose.  
  
...Wait, no. Dammit, what? Delthea shook her head, trying to shake her thoughts away. Why was she so angry? This is a happy thing! A slutty bitch like that should put out for just about anybo--NO!  
  
Delthea stood and left her tent, deciding that some fresh air would clear her head. The sky was clear again today, and with half the army out dealing with a horde of Terrors that had sprung up nearby, the camp was relatively quiet. The peace and quiet this afforded almost made Delthea forget about Luthier's date.  
  
Unfortunately, Clair was with the out party, and Delthea was left bored. She resigned herself to kicking rocks as she walked toward the town. Its gates came ever closer, until they passed and Delthea was within the town walls.  
  
On and on she wandered through town, not really thinking about much. Trying not to think about much. Trying not to think about Luthier going on his date. Trying not to think about the woman who didn't look like she cared who she was going out with as long as they looked good. Trying to hope that it was going well for him.  
  
Was it bad if she, on some level, hoped it would go badly? Yeah, it probably was. Delthea let out a sigh as she kicked a pebble at the well in the center of town.  
  
"What am I thinking?" she asked aloud, to no one except the well, which echoed her confusion back to her. It wasn't fair to judge some woman she didn't know like that. But that nagging, painful feeling in her stomach just refused to go away.  
  
And when Delthea looked back up, it surged stronger when she saw Luthier and his date exiting the tavern she and Luthier had been to just yesterday. The woman had a stern look on her face. Delthea crouched behind the well in a panic.  
  
"I tell you, Luthier, I'm not going to start training with a sword, I don't CARE how good you think I'd be at it!"  
  
"But Darla, your physique is ideal for it--"  
  
"Luthier, quiet! Gods, I don't know why Lady Clair thought this would be a good idea!" The woman stormed away, past the well, thankfully too angry to notice Delthea as she muttered curses under her breath.  
  
Delthea slowly peeked above the well to Luthier, who had let his arms drop to his sides in clear disappointment. Some part of her was relieved, but she couldn't bear to see Luthier looking so distraught.  
  
Luthier stood quietly for a few moments before giving a sigh and heading back toward camp. Delthea watched, circling around the well to keep out of Luthier's line of sight, until he walked out of sight beyond the town gates. Delthea stood from her hiding spot and gave her own sigh.  
  
She would be lying if she said a part of her wasn't happy about this, but she still couldn't figure out why.  
  
...Okay. Delthea took a breath and began to follow Luthier back to his tent to console him.


	4. A Brother's Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luthier's upset about the result of his date.

Luthier was having trouble.

Luthier was having trouble with women.  
  
As Luthier slowly shambled toward his tent, he couldn't shake his feeling of regret. Delthea tried her best, he knew that. But it was hard to shake an old habit. He tried to have a conversation, but as always, it turned to trying to fix the faults he thought he could see in his date. He just couldn't resist the urge.  
  
"Gods...damn it all," he muttered as he tossed his Elfire tome aside and fell into his bedding. Another failure. Another failure. Another GODS damned failure.  
  
Luthier wasn't used to failure, for the most part. Sure, he was no prodigy like Delthea, but when it came to magic and studies he knew what he was doing.  
  
That said...he was certainly becoming acquainted with the feeling recently. He picked up his Elfire tome and scrutinized it, looking for nothing in particular.  
  
"What is it that I'm supposed to be doing?" he asked his tome. It gave no response. He knew the answer, of course, but he just couldn't break his habit. He wasn't comfortable around other people. There was only one person he could really relax around--anybody else had him as tense as when he'd picked up his first tome.  
  
As he stared into the pages of his trusty tome, a small, careful voice piped in from the front of his tent.  
  
"Lu?"  
  
Delthea came in without asking--typical of her, but Luthier didn't mind. He sat up, set his tome aside, and straightened his robes.  
  
"Welcome, Delthea," he said simply. He hoped he hid the frustration in his voice, but Delthea would surely pick up on it.  
  
"You doing okay?" she asked. She had a look of concern on her face--she must have noticed after all.  
  
"I'm...fine, Delthea."  
  
"Really?" Delthea paused for a moment, her lips pursed. "How'd your date go?"  
  
Gods...of course she'd ask. He had really hoped she wouldn't, but Delthea seldom cares about that. Luthier tried to put on his toughest face.  
  
"It went fine."  
  
"You're a bad liar, Lu." Delthea sat at his side on the bedding, pilfering one of Luthier's sweets from his own robe pocket.  
  
"H-hey!"  
  
"Mine now," she said with a grin as she popped it into her mouth. What a girl...  
  
"What is it you need, Delthea?"  
  
Delthea closed her eyes and took a breath. "To tell you the truth, Luthier... I saw what happened."  
  
Luthier blinked, unsure of how to respond for a moment. "You what?"  
  
"I was wandering around town when you guys came out of the tavern."  
  
Oh, Gods. And here Luthier had been hoping to pretend his date went well.  
  
"So...are you doing okay?" she asked again, resting a comforting hand on Luthier's on the bedding. It was small and warm, and her touch was so soft.  
  
...No sense hiding it. Luthier took a breath.  
  
"No. No, Delthea. I'm... actually quite discouraged right now." Luthier gave a small sigh and let his shoulders slump. "I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I tried to compliment her, and everything just went south on me."  
  
"Going by what I heard, you tried to tell her to train with a sword?"  
  
"She'd be very good with it! She's--"  
  
"Uh-uh. Stop. Lu, bro, she's a mage. That's what she wants to do, right?"  
  
"I...yes. She made that very clear."  
  
"And you kept arguing? Lu, bro, for Mila's sake." Delthea gave a sigh and gave Luthier a look he couldn't interpret. He hoped it wasn't a bad look. Soon, it turned into a smile, for reasons Luthier couldn't begin to fathom.  
  
"Delthea?"  
  
"...It's nothing," said Delthea as she turned her gaze downward. "It's nothing. Anyway, Lu." She turned her face toward his again. "Next time you're on a date...try to relax, all right?"  
  
Relax. That was easier said than done. There was only one person Luthier could relax around.  
  
Delthea went silent and gently squeezed Luthier's hand before moving it away. Luthier wished she'd put it back.  
  
"Luthier, I..."  
  
"Delthea?"  
  
"...No. It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Delthea stood and stretched. "You can do it, Lu," she said without looking at him. "I can't stand seeing you like this anymore. Keep trying, okay?"  
  
Without waiting for a response, Delthea left Luthier's tent, and Luthier found his hand reaching again for his tome. He opened it and flipped through the pages, but talking to Delthea seemed to calm his mind.  
  
He smiled and closed his tome, setting it in its usual spot within reaching distance of his bedding. Maybe he could relax, he thought.  
  
It might just take the right person to make it happen.


End file.
